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Purple Rain’ Musical Opens in Minneapolis in Pre-Broadway Tryout

The production tests a revamped story with an expanded songbook, using audience feedback to evaluate a Broadway transfer.

Overview

  • The world premiere follows three weeks of previews in the city where Prince defined the Minneapolis sound.
  • Producer Orin Wolf leads a team including playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and director Lileana Blain-Cruz, with Prince collaborators Bobby Z. and Morris Hayes advising the music.
  • Kris Kollins makes his professional acting debut as the Kid opposite Rachel Webb as Apollonia, with a largely young cast.
  • The adaptation expands the film’s nine songs to roughly two dozen selections from across Prince’s catalog and runs about 2 hours 30 minutes plus a 15-minute intermission.
  • The engagement functions as a pre-Broadway test that solicits audience response before a possible New York transfer, with Minneapolis landmarks lighting up purple for opening night.